South Carolina has a humid, subtropical climate. Average temperatures range from 68°F (20°C) on the coast to 58°F (14°C) in the northwest, with colder temperatures in the mountains. Summers are hot: in the central part of the state, temperatures often exceed 90°F (32°C), with a record of 111°F (44°C) set at Camden on 28 June 1954. In the northwest, temperatures of 32°F(0°C) or less occur from 50 to 70 days a year; the record low for the state is –20°F (–29°C), set at Caesars Head Mountain on 18 January 1977. The daily mean temperature at Columbia is 44°F(7°C) in January and 81°F (27°C) in July.
Rainfall is ample throughout the state, averaging 48.3 in (122.7 cm) annually at Columbia (1971–2000) and ranging from 38 in (97 cm) in the central region to 52 in (132 cm) in the upper piedmont. Snow and sleet (averaging 2 in/5 cm a year at Columbia) occur about three times annually, but more frequently and heavily in the mountains.